Any advice for wearing arm warmers under a wetsuit? Half on Saturday is Scheduled to be mid 50's at start and I'm considering wearing warmers. Has anyone done this before? My other thought was to wear a long sleeve Under Armour compression shirt under my trisuit.

DV 1 - 2011-09-08 3:40 PM Any advice for wearing arm warmers under a wetsuit? Half on Saturday is Scheduled to be mid 50's at start and I'm considering wearing warmers. Has anyone done this before? My other thought was to wear a long sleeve Under Armour compression shirt under my trisuit.

used Arm coolers and compression calf and compression shirt under wetsuit for Ironman France. Worked great, but they were coolers so they dried fast. Not sure how well warmers would work as I don't own any.

My guess would be that you'll be a bit chilly until they dry out... my coolers dried quickly in the summer sun

I have done it with arm coolers, but not arm warmers. I'd agree with those that said that you will probably be more cold while they dry (although probably not any colder than the rest of your body under your wet tri jersey). I'll also note from experience at IMFL last year that they are pretty tough to get on wet arms, even if you did your best to dry off some and pre-roll them. Maybe I'm not a great pre-roller....

Personally I would not wear them at all. If you wear them under a wetsuit they will be wet and not provide the warmth expected at first. They may slip down when you take the wetsuit off and need to be adjusted. Putting them on in T1 with damp arms may be somewhat of a hassle

The first time I did a triathlon in cool weather (52 degF) I put a long sleeve bike jacket on that had a full front zipper. It kept me warm, but I think it was more then I really needed. I took it off in T2 for the run. The next cold weather triathlon I didn't use anything besides my regular Trisuit. I was fine after the first couple of miles on the bike.

ras26 - 2011-09-08 4:55 PM I have done it with arm coolers, but not arm warmers. I'd agree with those that said that you will probably be more cold while they dry (although probably not any colder than the rest of your body under your wet tri jersey). I'll also note from experience at IMFL last year that they are pretty tough to get on wet arms, even if you did your best to dry off some and pre-roll them. Maybe I'm not a great pre-roller....

With it 40 degrees at the swim start, I had exactly the same experience at IMFL last year. It seemed to cost me a few minutes, but since this was my first IM, I had bigger things to think about besides a little extra time in T1.

This thread got my attention, though, because I was thinking about posting the same thing. Next week for Savageman, it could be cold in the mountains in the morning, so I think I might want some additional thermal protection, but don't want to take the time in T1 to put them on.

Wet arm warmers won't keep you warm if that's your goal. They will keep some wind out, but probably not enough to offset the evaporative cooling as they dry (or...they could stay wet the whole time)

If you're worried about being cold at the start of the bike, take the time to dry off in T1 and put your jersey on in T1. Yes, it'll cost you 20-60 seconds and the video may show up on the internet, but how much time will you lose biking with a low core temp? (I did an OLY a while back and it was around 60F at the start of the bike, and I never did warm up riding in the wet tri-top.) As for the warmers, pull them over your hands in T1 and then work them into place as your arms dry in the first mile or two.

I'm a relative newbie so I haven't experienced a lot of cool weather riding to know how outside temp and or core temp can or will affect bike speed. Does it make a big difference if you're cold, or is it just uncomfortable to be cold?

My first tri this year had a swim in the mid 50s. Best advice I could give, which helped me out tremendously, is to:

1. Get neoprene socks

2. Get ear plugs

3. Do some short practice swims in the water to get use to it (it can be quite a shock otherwise)

I don't think you'll need the under shirt, usually a wetsuit is just fine and when you come out of the water and unzip and release all the water, you'll find it's actually quite warm because the trapped water heats up rather quickly.

After a trial run this morning (put on trisuit and soaked myself in a cold shower then went for a short ride) I won't be wearing the arm warmers for the race. I was a bit chilled while my arms dried, but after ten minutes, I was fine. Thanks to everyone that replied with helpful info. Cold weather riding is going to be another learning curve as fall turns to winter!

I've worn arm warmers under a wetsuit many, many times and it works fine. You can't tell they are there during the swim and don't budge when you pull your suit off. They are damp right after the swim but not "soaking." They dry just about as fast as your tri suit. They are really only wet to start while you are amped up to get on your bike and get going so you barely notice. Once you start to relax into the ride they are dry and keeping you warm.

Interesting thread, since here in the northeast this nice cold front moved thru, and let me tell you the Atlantic ocean isn't getting any warmer.

I would think that, after removing the wetsuit that a quick press-over with a dry towl would help to soak up any excess drips, leaving you with a damp arm warmer? I may be trying this next weekend myself.

They take FOREVER to put on if you're wet. I swore next time and every time I 'd put them on and wear them for the swim.

Roll them up. Starting from the wide end (i.e. upper part of the arm) roll them towards the wrist making a sort of donut (with the inside of the arm warmers out). To put them on in transition put it on like a bracelet and unroll. Super fast if you've preplanned...I did this for IMFL last year and it works for leg warmers too.